The earthquake shook the Seattle area, followed by a series of aftershocks
Two earthquakes struck the Puget Sound area of Washington State on Friday morning. The earthquake occurred in British Columbia and crossed the Cascade Mountains into the eastern part of the state. No damage or injury was reported immediately.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that a magnitude 4.6 earthquake occurred in the Sanhu area about 40 miles northeast of Seattle. A few minutes later, a magnitude 3.5 aftershock occurred near Monroe, about 30 miles northeast of Seattle. The initial shock occurred at 2:51 am on Friday.
The surveillance video obtained by the CBS Alliance KIRO-TV shows the moment when the earthquake struck Washington Everett. Many viewers reported the earthquake. “We fell asleep, the whole house shook, we all woke up. We were scared and still awake,” Rob Fuhriman told the station.
The Ministry of Transportation said that the agency will inspect the bridge, but there is no damage report. The US Geological Survey said it received reports that people felt the shock from Vancouver to Wenatchee, Washington.
The northwestern region is particularly prone to earthquakes. The latest shock in the Seattle area occurred in 2001, when a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurred in northern Olympia, Washington. The earthquake caused some damage and extensive damage, including the air traffic control tower at Sea-Tac Airport.
Along the Pacific coast, south of the region, the 4.9 magnitude aftershock of the Southern California earthquake last week was widely felt in the area. A magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurred on July 4, and 7.1 earthquakes occurred on the second day, with thousands of aftershocks.
The US Geological Survey geophysicist David Caruso told the Seattle Times that the Washington State earthquake was caused by a thrust fault, with one side of the disruption layer pushing up against its opposite side. Such earthquakes are common in the Cascade Mountains.
Caruso said that the Northwest earthquake has nothing to do with the recent earthquake in California.